"He's got a lot of emotion and passion about his game, he certainly plays with a lot of heart and he's a joy to watch. It's been a wonderful season for him so far.

"There's probably two or three of those players in every team (that you can't afford to lose) and when you get down to the pointy end of the season it's the teams that have a little bit of luck with having their best players not injured.

"It's about handling the loads and that's why you put so much energy and work into them outside the training field to make sure they are physically OK."

Queensland State of Origin star Josh Papalii returns to Canberra's starting side this week and Stuart backed him to shine alongside NSW Blues gun Jack Wighton.

"Papa's role has been enormous, he's been great over the season and just the way he's handled the Origin period and his club footy just shows his growth and maturity," Stuart said.

"Jack and Papa have their first day back today (Thursday) since the game (on Saturday) so they got a good break which is important after their representative and club commitments."